On 9:00 AM Saturday morning, under a glorious blue sky, 18,000 International runners from 40 countries gathered to run together to celebrate the New York Road Runners second largest event of the year, the Continental Airlines Friendship Run. The run goes from the United Nations building to the finish line in Central Park where runners enjoy a complimentary 'continental' breakfast. It is also a day when the organization awards one special person who has made a great contribution to the world a trophy to recognize their efforts.

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Past winners include Mayor Giuliani, Paula Radcliffe, and Grete Waitz. This year's winner is no stranger to the streets of the city having won the New York Mini four times, and had just returned from a trip to Rio where she retained her world half marathon championship title for the third year. Lornah Kiplagat, now representing the Netherlands, has come a long way since being a small girl in a rural Kenyan village.

RW: Did you ever dream you'd be standing here being honored outside one of the world's most famous buildings?LK: Not at all, and I am really happy to be here in New York.

RW: What is the plan for you no, is it hard to be in New York with all the hooplaa going on and you are not racing tomorrow?LK: No, no, I am enjoying, taking it easy. I really enjoy that I don't have to do that and that.

RW: And next year will herald a change in your running focus right?LK: Yes, I would like to say that I am very happy and have achieved all I wanted to achieve in the shorter distances, and now I want to run the marathon. I have never had a focus where I have ran only marathons, and to do what I want to do, then I have to stay focused and become more goal orientated.

RW: So how is the year panning out. LK: It is a must I run Puerto Rico, I have won the race six times, second twice, and once there and could not run, so I will start the year with a 10km. No, it won't be a world record attempt, I will go there just to win the race.

RW: And the big marathon?LK: I will then prepare and run a big marathon in the fall of 2009, not before. In 2010 I will look to run a marathon just for time, I have a PR of 2:22:22 from 10k training so I know I can do much better than that,and this all leads up to my ultimate running goal which will culminate in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. I also want to enjoy myself before I retire from the sport.

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RW: You had talked about stopping before in 2007LK: Yes, I took some time off, then I ran the world half championships just to see, and I ended up running in a new world record, so I thought, hmm, let me see what I can do some more.

RW: What does it mean to you to get this prestigious Abebe Bikila award today?LK: Like he was a role model to the runners after him it is most important that we continue to have role models, adn I am gald to join the 'boys & girls' who have won this award before.

RW: Who was your role model?LK: Susan Sirma was the name I heard and who I wanted to be like. She was in Japan, running, doing well, and I wanted to be like her. If there was one name I heard when I was young, it was Susan Sirma. (Kenya's first ever female World Track & Field medalist, bronze 3000m Tokyo 1991)

RW: Can you describe New York, how it feels to be here?LK: Such a big contrast from where I came, so hug, so busy, so fast, but I like the city. The special part is the park, I can do my normal training here, and here I have great friends who go beyond just the running world.

RW: Being Dutch has your living situation changed much?LK: Stil the same, and still how I think it will always be. I am in Kenya 80% and in Holland 20% of the time over the year. You can not find a better place to run in the world than Kenya.

RW: A lot of your humanitarian work you do along side Pieter, tell us a bit about the man behind the woman.LK: My husband is the reason I am who I am in the world. He has dedicated himself to my career and that is big. He has set a great network for me and does so much of the work that for me I can just turn up. this way I can run good, concentrate on my training, and get things done.

RW: What are the hard parts for you in life?LK: There is no hard part. I train hard, win easy (big laughs) meaning that I really work as hard as I can in life to do my best in whatever. You know a lot of people start to talk bad about you when you are someone, they say Drugs whatever, but these are people who are going no where with their own lives. You meet them in ten years and they are still standing in the same place doing nothing. Life for me should be a challenge; and in that way I have become the person you see today who is here accepting and taking this award. I think also my charity work that do keeps me motivated and gives me more.

RW: What is your message to the runners of the world who stood before you today outside the United Nations?LK: No limits, no limiting to what you can do if you be positive. Be positive then you will runpositive. I am not the most talented runner in Kenya, even in my camp we have a runner who has far more natural talent than me, so it must be to do with the mindset.

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